Written as diary entries and separated by notations to mark the passing of time, Twain's story presents the Biblical account of creation from a unique perspective. Eve, created from the rib of Adam in the book of Genesis, is given a voice in “Eve’s Diary.” In her diary entries, Eve reflects upon her struggles to find her place in the world and to achieve true companionship with her intended mate, Adam, beginning with her first days in the Garden of Eden.

As the first diary entry opens, Eve is nearly a day old and doesn’t yet know of Adam’s existence. She is already quite capable of intellectual thought and believes herself to be some sort of experiment. She considers that she must be vigilant of her position in order to guarantee her continued place in this presumed grand experiment. Eve is also confident from the start and particularly proud of her word choice, especially considering her young age.

Eve is disappointed that the moon has “disappeared” since the previous day and describes how she watched it slide down the sky and fall out of her world. She considers this a great loss and mourns that it wasn’t “fastened better” in place. Eve finds great beauty in the world around her—from the stars, which she tries to knock down with a pole, to the animals, who are a great source of personal comfort. She has a tremendous appreciation for the natural world and cares for even the smallest creatures. She quickly notices that another, particularly interesting creature shares the land with her; she is at first scared of it but finds that it is just as scared of her. Eve determines that this unknown creature must be called a “man.” When she finds him attempting to catch fish in a pool of water, she throws dirt clods at him until he retreats into a tree. Eve is distraught that he could have so little compassion for other creatures and determines that he must be designed for “ungentle work.”

Eve begins following this man around and finds that she has to do all the talking. After a while, he seems pleased to have her around and eventually stops trying to avoid her. Unhappy with the man’s abilities to name all of the animals, Eve takes over this task for him and finds that he is grateful for her help. However, the next day she finds herself cut off from the man’s companionship, which greatly distresses her. Eve cannot think of anything she has done to deserve the man’s unkindness and spends a night out in the rain by herself; the man refuses to talk to her.

A few days later, their relationship is restored, and Eve mentions that she has tried to obtain some apples for the man. Although he tries to tell Eve that the fruit is forbidden and that she will be harmed by such pursuits, Eve dismisses this idea. She reasons that pleasing the man is more important to her than any risk of personal harm. 

Eve attempts to become more intimate with the man and tells him her name, believing that this might pique his interest. Not only does the man seem indifferent, but he also withholds his own name from her. Eve marvels at the talents of the man despite the fact that he doesn’t show any interest in her. She is impressed with his extensive—albeit sparsely utilized—vocabulary.

Eventually the man’s dismissal of Eve begins to weigh on her. She becomes frustrated by his lack of attention toward her and toward creation at large. He thinks flowers...